Improvement in surface-condensers



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Letters Patent No. 101,892, :lated April 12, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT N SURFACE-CONDENSERS.'

The Schedule referred to in 'these Letters Patent and making part of.the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, REUBEN LIGHTHALL, ofBrooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Surface-Condensers, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the ac.-companying drawing forming part of this speccation, and in which- Figure1 represents a vertical longitudinal section of a surface-condenser,constructed in accordance with my improvement;

Figure 2, a vertical transverse section thereof, taken as indicated bythe line x x in g. l;

Figure 3, a plan of the same, in part, with the top or cover removed;and

Figure 4, a view in perspective of olie of the sectional tube-frames,detached.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding v parts.

. My invention. consists in a sectional surface-condenser, made up of aseries of separate tube-frames, which are slid or let int-o their placesin the case or shell of the condenser, preferably at some littledistance apart, to form intervening vacuum and steam spaces, butpracticallyconstituting an elongated tube- .surface, .composed ofdetached structures, which largelyvfacilitate both the construction andfitting together or repair of the condenser, and by employing only shorttubes, packing the latter in the tube-sheets, to provide for expansionand contraction, may be dispensed with.

' Also, the linvention embraces a novel arrangement of ltheinlet andoutlet to a condenser'for the water used in effecting condensation,whereby a more perfect action or circulation is secured.

Referring .to the accompanying drawing--4 A represents the case or shellof a condenser, to which B is the inlet forthe exhaust steam, and C a.space orchamber for its collection, before passing through the tubes,in which it is condensed by the action of cold water surrounding saidtubes.

Arranged within this chamber, so as to lie in front 4of the Vadvancetube-sheet, is a perforated plate or shield, D, which operates to breakthe shock of the exhaust steam, and thereby to protect Asaid tube; sheetfrom being battered and the joints disturbed; also, which serves todivide up the steam into small jets and prepare it for distributionthrough the tubes.

The tubesand sheets or plates I prefer to make' in part of iron and inpart of zinc, in place of using copper, `to avoid that well-knowninjuryto the boiler, when made of iron, which takes place from the useof copper in the condenser. l

The tubular portion of the condenseris represented as made up of a.series, consisting of any suitable number, of independent sections E EE, arranged, the one in advance of the -other, preferably, with steamand vacuum spaces F F F in between them, of sutiieient capacity to allowot' a man entering the same, as repair or other circumstances mayrequire, but said tubular sections may be arranged closer. t

Each of these tubular sections E E E is a perfect structure of itself,and can be 'made separately from the rest of -the condenser, and be putin and removed .from its place in the latter in a short time, and, whenrequiring repair, can be to replace it. l v..

'lhe sections maybe slid to their places down suitably-constructedgrooves a a iu the sides of the shell,

and there be corked 'or packed; but all packing'of the tubes, to providefor expansion and contraction, may be dispensed with, and the tubes b bbe made fast to the tube-sheets c c, inasmuch as said tubes only beingshort, variation oftemperature will not materially affeet their length,and in making them fast they are more reliable.

By thus constructing the tubular portion 'of' the` condenser in section,with the tubes in their places, before itting themwithin the condenseror shell thereof, the putting together of the condenser, especially onshipboard, is greatly facilitated.

The water of condensation arising from the passage vofthe steam throughthe tubes b b of the tubular structures E- E E and the interveningspaces F F F, is or may be passed from the rear of the condenser by alower outlet, d, along side-passages c c, to the' branch f, whichconnects with the pump.

The water to effect condensation is introduced' by an inlet, G, near theforward end of the condenser,

from above or overthe tubes, and, after circulating among or around thetubes on their outside, the same is drawn br passed ofi', also fromabove, by an outlet, H, near the back end of the. condenser.

This arrangement of the inlet and outlet in the upper portion ofthecondenser, at opposite ends thereof, facilitates the descent of the coldincoming water and ascent of the heated outgoing water.

To apply such arrangement to the sectional construction -of thecondenser hereinbefore described, each tube-section E E E is made tocommunicate at ,its bottom by an opening, g, with a lower passage, h,

which establishes connection between the several sections for the waterby which the condensation is ef t'ected.Y Y

What is here claimed, and. desired to be securedby Letters Patent, is-

1. A surface-condenser,I made up of independent and detachable tubularframes or structures E E E, arranged to intersect the sb'ell, the one inadvance 'of the other, substantially as' specified.

l 2. The arrangement of both the inlet androutlet G and H for the waterwhich effects condensation, ou the upper portion of the condenser, andat opposite ends thereof, substantially as specified.

VREUBEN LIGHTHALL. Witnesses: Y

'HENRY PALMER.:

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